Saint Clare of Assisi

Possibly the only thing the nobility and merchants in
Assisi agreed on was the anger that rose up in them when they heard the
name of Francis di Bernardone. To their way of
thinking, he had disgraced his family, and stolen from his father
to give to beggars and lepers. He must surely be crazy. To add to their
indignation, many of the sons of the nobility
of Assisi kept flocking to Francis, joining him in his insanity.
They were spellbound by him. They had left their homes, given their
possessions away, and donned the heavy, coarse sack cloth tunic that
Francis wore. There were families in Assisi who
would have liked to wring Francis’ neck.

Saint Clare of
Assisi knew the reaction she would get from her
relatives every time she mentioned Francis’
name, but she couldn’t help it. She found him so fascinating!
What he had done, and what he was preaching was so contrary to anything
she had ever heard before. She had known him over the years. She most
likely bumped into him from time to time, lowering her eyes as he passed
by. She may have witnessed the public trial
Francis’ father had subjected him to, when Francis took off all
his clothes, gave them to his father, and proclaimed from that time, God
was his father.

St. Clare had never spoken to Francis. She had to meet
him! One day, she chose to go out walking on the very road she knew he
would be taking. They met. Francis had known of her since she was a
child. Hers was one of the few noble families living in Assisi. Francis
could see in Clare that very special quality that Jesus would use some
day. When their eyes met, the heavens opened up and the
Holy Spirit entered into them. They could not
break the fixed look. They gazed into each other’s souls. Finally,
Francis spoke to Clare. "You will have to know how to die."

Saint Clare of
Assisi looked at him questioningly, and perhaps a
little apprehensively. Never taking her eyes off Francis, she pleaded,
"What do you mean?"

Francis replied, tenderly, "On the cross with
Christ." She still did not understand what he meant, but felt an
unexplainable excitement surge through her. His words remained with her.
She could not get them out of her mind. She met with him frequently over
the next few months, listening in awe as Francis shared the overpowering
love he had for Jesus and the Gospel life. He impressed on Clare the
dignity and beauty of a girl like her, giving herself over to Jesus as a
spotless virgin, to be His bride. His words were like arrows of love
from the Lord penetrating her heart, burning her with an insatiable
desire for more.

Miracle of the Eucharist of Assisi

She was firm in the face of adversity. The famous incident, which we
call the Miracle of the Eucharist of Assisi, took place at San Damiano
in 1241, twelve years before Clare died. The catalyst that the Lord used
to bring about this miracle was a German prince, Frederick II of Swabia.
There is a tradition that Frederick was born in Assisi at the same time
as Francis, and was baptized on the same day in the church of San Ruffino. The Pope had
treated this Frederick

very well, being sure he was brought
up comfortably, affording him every courtesy. The young German repaid
his kindness by turning on the Pope and the Church, waging a war against
them, and the people of the Umbria. He had visions of an empire that
would spread itself from Assisi down to Sicily. To this end, he
recruited a band of Saracen mercenaries to be his army.
Reinforced by his band of merciless cutthroats, Frederick proceeded to
march against Assisi.

The convent of San Damiano stood between the troops
of Frederick II and the city of Assisi. The fact that there was a group
of virgin nuns in the convent was particularly appealing to the
Saracens, who hated Christians, and had a lusty appetite for Caucasian
women. They proceeded to attack the Convent. Clare was sick in bed at
this time. Her ladies rushed to her, crying, in

a
state of panic. What would they do? Could she protect them from the
attacking soldiers? One of the Sisters ran into the room to report that
she had seen soldiers in the fields close to the convent. A general
state of alarm broke out.

Clare had two Sisters help her up out of bed. She
went to

their little Chapel, and removed a
Monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament. She held it in her hands,
pressed her head against it, and prayed to the Lord. She walked to the
large open window facing the courtyard below. She spoke to the Lord, and
He answered her. She implored, "Protect, Lord, these your servants, that
I now, by myself, cannot protect."

A very sweet voice, that of a young child, answered
her, "I will take care of you always."

Clare added another prayer. "My Lord, protect also,
as it pleases you, this city that by your love supports us."

The reply she received was, "It will have to go
through suffering, but it will be defended by my protection."

Strengthened by these words, Saint Clare of Assisi turned to her Sisters, who

were terrified by the prospects of
the attack of the feared Saracens. "I guarantee you, my daughters, that
you will not suffer any evil. Only have faith in Christ." She took the
monstrance and held it high in the air.

The advancing Saracens froze in their tracks at the courtyard of the
Convent. They looked up at Clare, at the Monstrance in her hand.
Petrified with fear, as if they could recognize the God Who was there,
they turned and ran, fleeing from the convent of San Damiano, leaving
Clare and her Sisters in peace. The next day, the people of Assisi were
pleased, but astonished that the Saracens had not attacked their city.
Survival not conquest, uppermost in their minds, the invaders had left
without ever setting foot in the town

Saint Clare of
Assisi went to the Church of San Giorgio1 for a Lenten
service. Francis spoke that evening. She was inspired by his powerful
witnessing of the Gospel life; lifted up by the joy he transmitted in
his poverty; and drawn to the Living Jesus so visible through
him and his words. There was such a light in
his eyes, a fire in his voice. She went to him after the service.
She knew she, too, was being called to live the life of the Gospel. She
asked him to help her achieve that goal. They planned for her to enter
the Community on Palm Sunday.

The next Sunday was Palm Sunday. Clare went with all
the young ladies of Assisi to the Palm Sunday services at the Cathedral
in Assisi. The Bishop conducted the liturgy. As
part of the Mass, after the readings and homily, the Bishop blessed and
distributed palms to the faithful. The entire congregation filed up to
the altar to receive them. The young unmarried girls of Assisi,
of which Clare was a part, were to be last in the procession. They rose
from their seats, resplendently outfitted in
the latest Spring fashions, and glided up to the altar to receive
the palms; all, that is, except Clare. She
remained in her seat with her head down. She wasn’t sure what she
was doing, or why she was doing it. Her thoughts must have
been running amuck; Was she being holy, or shy?
She honestly did not know. She just knew that was what she was
supposed to do. The Bishop noticed her absence
at the altar, as did the whole town. After presenting all the young
girls with blessed palms, the Bishop rose, and walked over to
where Clare was seated. He blessed her and placed a palm in her hands.
Then he returned to the altar to continue the Mass. Saint Clare of
Assisi just sat there
looking down, her palm branch clutched to her
heart. What had happened to her? She had been touched, and would
never be the same.

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DVD

Sister Moon to Francis' Brother Sun
"Always be lovers of God and your souls and the souls of your Sisters, and
always be eager to observe what you have promised to the Lord."

Saint Clare was truly Saint Francis' partner in Christ.
She was the first female member of the Franciscan community. She
fought against the whole Franciscan community, including popes, to maintain
the original Rule of Saint Francis. After his death, she spent the rest
of her life caring for her ladies. She would not even die before her
rule for the Poor Clares was approved by the Pope.

Clare is a role model for all women in headship, not
exclusively of the Church, but especially of the Church. She may very well
have been placed on this earth to be a prototype for Superiors of Religious
Communities, male and female, for centuries to come. Clare could easily be
the standard bearer for anyone who would lead a community of people, whether
it be a Religious Community, as Superior, or a country, as President,
Dictator, or King. And her philosophy was not new, or complicated. It was
simple. "Love one another as I have loved you."

See how she
vanquished the
Saracens
with a Miracle of the Eucharist.
See her Convent of San Damiano in Assisi. Visit the
balcony where Saint Francis stayed prior to his death. See her cell, and
the place where she gave up her soul to the Lord.

Visit her Church in Assisi and her incorrupt body.
See where she bi-locatedto Bethlehem. Pray before the original
Cross of San Damiano which spoke to Saint Francis
and told him to "Rebuild My Church."

"If God grants my
desires, my Heaven will be spent on earth until the end of time. Yes ,
I will spend my Heaven doing good on earth... I will return! I will come
down!"

Bob and Penny Lord
trace the life of one of the most powerful
Saints of the 20th Century, scenes taken from her birthplace in Alencon to
Buissonnets - her home in Lisieux,
to the Carmel where she lived as a Carmelite Nun,
to the great Basilica built in
her honor.
Declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II.

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"O Eternal God, accept
the sacrifice of my life for the Mystical Body of Thy Holy Church."

Mystic -
Stigmatic Travel
with us to Siena, and St. Dominic's Church where she went into ecstasy. Walk through her home where she was mystically married to Jesus; see the cross where she received the Stigmata. Go to Siena, and St. Dominic's Church where she went into ecstasy. Walk through her home where she was mystically married to Jesus; see the cross where she received the Stigmata.
Go to Avignon, France
where she convinced the Pope to return to Rome.

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Visit her
birthplace in Roccaporena, and Cascia where she lived.
Venerate her incorrupt body. See the miraculous bees that were part of her life.
Go to the conventin Cascia where she
lived and witness her life in the Cloister.
See her miraculous entry into the community and the Cross from which she received the Stigmata, a thorn in her head.

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"If you seek the Cross of Christ,
take my heart;
there you will find the Suffering Lord."

Scenes from the Augustinian convent in Montefalco.
Venerate her incorrupt body.
See
the Crucified Christ, and the Crown of Thorns inside the muscle of her heart.This was revealed during her autospy.
Visit the garden and
see the miraculous tree which still bears fruit today.
Discover the story of the Montefalco Rosaries made form
these nuts.
Go inside the cloister where she died.
Meet her community
of Nuns, who joyfully still live the rule.

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Sister Moon to Francis' Brother Sun
"Always be lovers of God and your souls and the souls of your Sisters, and
always be eager to observe what you have promised to the Lord."

Great Mystic -Role Model

See how she vanquished the
Saracens
with a Miracle of the Eucharist.
Scenes from her Convent of San Damiano in Assisi.
Visit her Church in Assisi and her incorrupt
body.
See where she bi-locatedto Bethlehem; pray
before the original Cross of San Damianowhich spoke to St.
Francis and told him to "Rebuild My Church."

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The Visionary of Lourdes
"I cannot promise you happiness in this world, but in the next."

We start at the
birthplace of Bernadette, the Boly Mill in Lourdes.
Visit the Cachot where she lived during the apparitions, and La Maison Paternelle where
she lived after the apparitions.
Enter the Grotto of Massabiele
where our Lady appeared to her.
Scenes fromNevers, and see her beautiful incorrupt
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Scenes from Avila, and
the
Convent of the Incarnation where she had mystical experiences, including Transverberation of the
Heart.

Visit San José in Avila,Valladolid, and Alba de Tormes where
she died.

See her incorrupt
arm andheart.

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Powerful
Saints and Role Models
Pope Benedict
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Bob and Penny have taken 10 of the
most powerful women in the Church of yesterday and today, and shared them in
a way that can be understood by all. They write about these women in their
simple and engaging style, which has placed them among the most popular
Catholic writers of the day.
Each of these 10 women are Role Models for the faithful of today. Read
how they suffered rejection by their peers, discrimination because of sex,
and how they rose above all of it to become movers and shakers of the world.
There is a common thread, which gave them the strength to go on when others
would have backed down -their devotion to the Holy Eucharist and Mother Mary
and an unbending commitment to their vows, most especially that of
obedience.

Saint Clare of AssisiSister Moon to
Francis’ Brother Sun Foundress of the Poor Clares - Miracle of the
EucharistSaint Clare of Montefalco
Mystic
- Read how they found the Crucified Lord and see the means of Crucifixion
they found in her heart - Incorrupt BodySaint
Catherine of Siena Doctor
of Church - Stigmatist Mystic - brought Papacy back to Rome - Mystically
Married to JesusSaint
Rita of CasciaRole Model for
women of every generation - Saint of the Impossible - Incorrrupt BodySaint
Teresa of Avila Reformer
of the Carmelites - Doctor of the Church - Mystic - Transverberation of
the heartSaint
BernadetteVisionary
of Lourdes - Incorrupt bodySaint
Thérèse of Lisieux Doctor of the
Church - Saint of the Little Way - Spends her Heaven doing good on Earth
New
chapter on recently proclaimed
Saint
Katharine Drexel Saint
of the Native and African AmericansSr.
Briege McKennaHealing MinistryMother Angelica Foundress
- Eternal Word Television Network
WEWN Radio - Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Down through the ages, men and
women have given their lives to carry out the command of Jesus. Bob
and Penny Lord have tracked the lives of 12 men who have said, Yes!
to Jesus, and dedicated their lives to that Yes!, some at the cost of
their lives. Their biographies parallel the times of crisis in our
Church. Bob and Penny have set their sights on the man and the time in
which he lived. They have started at the beginning of our infant
Church, with one of the greatest adventurers our Faith has ever known, Paul
the Apostle, and continued to our present day, ending with a Paul of the
Electronic Age, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.They have focus on the problems in the world and the Church at these
crucial times in our history, the men the Lord sent to save the world and
the Church from destruction, the struggles they encountered along the way,
and the ultimate triumph of Jesus through His Powerful Men in the Church.

Saint Paul Jesus
spoke to him; he converted, and archenemy of the Christians became Apostle
to Gentile WorldSaint
Augustine Doctor
of the Church - Sinner turned Saint - Read how his mother prayed him to
holiness.Saint
Francis of Assisi
Most like Jesus -lived the Gospel life - Brother Sun - Stigmatist -
Founder of FranciscansSaint
Anthony
Finder of Lost Souls - Great homilist, Mystic, Hammer of Heretics, Miracle
of the EucharistSaint
Peregrine
The Cancer Saint, Incorrupt bodySaint
John of the CrossReformer of
Carmelites - Doctor of the Church - Mystic - Poet - Soldier of ChristSaint
John Vianney Patron
Saint of Parish Priests, had visions of Mother Mary - did battle with the
devil.Saint
John Bosco
Mystic - Visionary - Prophesied these last days - Pied-piper of lost
children of the streets.Saint
Maxmilian Kolbe
- founded Knights of the Immaculata, died as a Martyr in Auschwitz.Saint
Miguel ProMartyr of Mexico of
the 20th centuryBlessed
Padre PioVisionary,
Stigmatist for 50 yrs, bi-located, perfect confessor, transverberation of
the heart.Archbishop
Fulton J. Sheen
- First Televangelist -
A Prophet of these latter days-maligned and misunderstood.

Code BSM 75
Photos 528 Pages PaperbackISBN 0-926143-09-3 -
$17.95

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